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M9

Description:

Features: The M9 is a light
weight, semiautomatic pistol
manufactured by Beretta and designed to replace the M1911A1 .45 caliber
pistol and .38 caliber revolvers. The M9 has redundant automatic safety
features to help prevent unintentional discharges. It can be fired in
either double or single action mode and can be unloaded without
activating the trigger while the safety is in the "on" position. The M9
pistol has a 15-round magazine, and may be fired without a magazine
inserted. This weapon can have the hammer lowered from the cocked,
"ready to fire," position to the uncocked position without activating
the trigger by placing the thumb safety on the "on" position.

The
M9 pistol has a short recoil system using a falling locking block. The
pressure developed by the expanding gasses of a fired round recoils the
slide and barrel assembly. After a short distance, the locking block is
disengaged from the slide, the barrel stops against the frame, and the
slide continues its rearward movement. The slide then extracts and
ejects the fired cartridge case, cocks the hammer, and compresses the
recoil spring. The slide moves forward, stripping the next cartirdge
from the magazine and feeds it into the chamber. After the last
cartridge has been fired and ejected, the slide and barrel assembly
will remain open by the magazine follower pressing up on the slide stop
lever.

Background: The 9mm Pistol Program was a
Congressionally-directed Non-Developmental Initiative to standardize
DoD with NATO and field one handgun for all United States armed
services. Beretta of Italy was awarded a multi-year contract for
delivery of over 500,000 pistols. The contract award stipulated that
production of the weapon must transition from Italian to US production
after two years. The US Army is the lead service in this program.